Entangled
by shatteredjewels
Summary: Kaylin Neya thought life would go back to normal upon her return to the Halls of Law. But instead, a group of Wolves go missing, and she's pulled into a dangerous investigation that may change her perception of everything she knows.
1. Chapter 1

**Entangled**

Kaylin Neya was late. Again. It was not unexpected, but it was more than a little annoying, mostly because she was late enough that she needed to all out sprint or risk spending the rest of her day baring her throat to Marcus.

By the time she reached the guards outside the Halls, she was panting. One guard was Clint; the other was an unfamiliar face, but judging by his smirk, he was not unfamiliar with her. She hoped she wasn't winning him any bets.

"Late again, Kaylin?" Clint was amused. Kaylin hunched over, hands on her knees, and ignored him in favor of catching her breath. Strands of hair escaped her hair stick and tickled her face, and sweat was already trickling down her neck. Perfect start to a day.

Once she'd recovered some air she glared in Clint's direction. "Do you have any idea how much it sucks to run here from the bloody Imperial Palace? It more than triples my commute."

"Then perhaps an earlier wake up call to compensate is in order."

"Bah." Kaylin waved her hand dismissively, which made Clint smile, and he let her pass. She touched his feathers in passing to pay him back for his oh-so-appreciated suggestions, dodged the butt of his spear as he lashed out in retaliation, and darted into the Halls.

She sprinted through the Aerie and through the halls to the offices until she reached Marcus' desk. She flinched at the sheer volume of paperwork stacked haphazardly on his desk. She could've sworn it was smaller yesterday, and she took a moment to offer a brief prayer to whoever would listen that the increase in size had nothing to do with her.

Instead of divine intervention, she got Marcus' roar. Hiding a wince, she bared her throat and waited. Marcus pounced over to his desk, dug his claws into the wood, and glared at her over the mound of paper. "Kitling," he growled. "If I had my way, I'd chain you to your desk and you'd be cleaning up this mess for the rest of the year!"

Kaylin decided it was safest not to react, and to not mention that her extended vacation with the Barrani had not been her idea. Marcus continued growling at her, but when she chanced a peek at him, she found that his fur was settling down. "But unfortunately, Evanton requested you specifically today, so I can't keep you here. Get out of my sight," he rumbled. "But report at the end of the day, and if I get one more piece of paperwork about you and the bloody West March put on my desk in between now and then, you'll be the one clocking in the extra hours to get it filed. Got it?"

Kaylin thought about sighing and maybe pointing out that it wasn't_ her _fault all the Barrani were insane, but decided she'd better not risk it making Marcus' eyes any more orange. Instead, she offered a crisp salute, likely clean enough to make Lord Diarmat nod in approval. Here, it just served to annoy, but hopefully not piss off, Marcus.

"Who's my partner today?"

"Do I look like a beat board?"

Definitely not. Kaylin had been returned to her usual beat, but her partner was fluctuating. She'd been paired mostly with Tain, but with Teela finally back from the High Court, she'd been switching partners almost every day. She skimmed the list to see which Hawk she'd be making rounds with, and her breath caught when she saw his name.

Severn was back.

She was smiling before the fact really even registered, and then she realized she was grinning like an idiot and somehow out of breath, and that caught her off guard. Kaylin admitted, privately, that she wasn't always in prime control of her emotions, but at least she didn't simper like some bloody human courtier in need of a fainting couch. Deciding that she must be really out of shape if her lungs were still recovering from her race to the Halls, Kaylin set out to find her newly returned partner. He wasn't at her desk, or his for that matter.

She found him in the Quartermaster's office, being refitted in his Hawk uniform. Pipsqueak was sitting on his shoulder, and when Kaylin entered his sight, he let out a loud squawk and flew straight at her face. He veered within inches of her eyes and started flying in circles around her head.

Severn was watching. "Think he missed me?" she asked.

"He seemed more occupied with attracting the attention of every Wolf he could find."

"Bet that was interesting."

"You have no idea."

She smiled at him, mostly just happy to see him in the Hawk insignia instead of the Wolves' Black. Her smile was interrupted by a head butt to her cheek from Pipsqueak. She attempted to catch him, but he flew out of reach, chittering, and with a flip of his tail, settled back on Severn's shoulder. She scowled. "Traitor."

The little dragon shot behind Severn's back and peeked over his shoulder. She rolled her eyes, and turned her glare to Severn. "And you too! It's been weeks! I only knew you were alive because my bracer kept popping up on my desk! Why didn't you tell me you'd be back today?"

"You would have known earlier if you'd gotten to work on time." He jerked his head toward a pack next to him on the bench. "Your bracer is in there. Midwives Guild?"

"Yes, and I am so ready to be out of that stupid palace and back in an apartment." While talking, Kaylin moved forward and started digging through his stuff for her bracer. "First, trying to get past a bunch of Imperial Guards in the middle of the night is a pain in the ass. You'd think they cared more about keeping guests in the palace than intruders out. And Bellusdeo was not being helpful; she knows how fast I have to move, but she tried to insist I order a bloody carriage, because it would be more befitting of the station she thinks I should hold. By the time I convinced her and the guards that waking up a groom and getting the stupid horses ready would take way too long, I could have been halfway across the city. I thought I was going to have to fight my way out."

"You still haven't found an apartment?"

"You think I have any time to go hunting? I was on leave for thirteen weeks."

"I know. I was there, remember?"

She stuck her tongue out at him and he chuckled. After clicking on her bracer, she crossed her arms and looked at him as he pulled on his boots. "You were with the Wolves a long time."

He shrugged, a fief shrug. She glared, and he sighed. "There was a lot to work out."

"A lot?"

"Yes, a lot."

Judging by his face, that was all she'd get out of him for now. "But everything's ok now? You're back?"

Her words brought a smile to his face. "Yes, I'm back. Hopefully for good."

"Good. Because you're a much better beat partner than Joey. I had to literally drag him away from flirting with Margot; I was ready to scream."

Severn, boots on and chain wrapped around his waist, stood up, and while Kaylin described the showdown between her, Joey, and Margot, they moved out of the room and through the halls and the office. Caitlin waved from her desk, and Kaylin waved back, somewhat aware of the grin still on her face. Walking down the stairs to their patrol with Severn was like returning to normal life. And, after all the upheavals in the past few months, that normal felt pretty damn good.

* * *

**Notes**

I'll try to be brief. First, Chronicles of Elantra belong to Michelle Sagara, not me.

Second, these are being written using the prompts from 30 Romances. The prompt for this chapter was Scram. If chapters seem short, it's because I'm essentially writing a series of interconnected drabbles.

Third, most of my Elantra books are halfway across the country on a bookshelf in my parent's house. I'll do my best to be accurate, but most of the details are coming out of my scattered memory. If I mess something up, just let me know.

Lastly, this takes off after Cast in Sorrow. I have no idea what's going to happen in that book, but there may be some guessing along the way. For all intents and purposes, life is back to normal. The little dragon now has a proper name, but Kaylin calls him Pipsqueak. Just go with it.

This whole fic is already planned and outlined. If we're lucky, my muses won't be afflicted with their usual ADD, and I may be able to finish this at a decent pace. We'll see!

Thanks for reading! Don't forget, reviews make me smile!

SJ


	2. Chapter 2

**Entangled**

Once they were out on the beat, the little dragon wouldn't settle down, and bounced back and forth between their two shoulders. It didn't really bother Kaylin, but it did draw the eyes of the Elani Street patrons. Pipsqueak reveled in the attention, and started flipping and twirling in the air, which drew even more notice. Grimacing, Kaylin tried to snatch him out of the air, but he managed to stay just out of her fingertips' reach.

"We need to do something about that."

"Way ahead of you." Kaylin started jumping to try and catch the little dragon's leg, but he bobbed up and down just enough to elude her. She felt more than heard Severn's chuckle. "A little help here? You're taller."

Still chuckling, Severn reached up and caught Pipsqueak, pulling him down to his shoulder. The little dragon squawked, and Severn tapped him on the head. "Behave," he said sternly. The little dragon hunched down onto his shoulder, appropriately abashed.

Kaylin's jaw dropped at the sight. "What the hell? Why'd he listen to you?"

"Because he knows he can't get away with it with me."

Kaylin sputtered a moment. "But he's my familiar! And what do you mean he knows he can't get away with it? Are you saying I want him to be obnoxious?"

Severn shrugged, which made the little dragon chitter. "Not that you want him to, but he knows what he can get away with around you." Kaylin stared at both of them. The little dragon sat up, and almost seemed to be nodding in agreement. Annoyed, Kaylin flipped around and marched down the street. Severn followed at his usual pace.

Elani Street had returned to its normal hustle and bustle in the weeks they'd been away. The occupants took the presence of a creek and a new subspecies of flower in stride. Kaylin slowed down, eyeing a cart of bottles to see if the flower's essence had been bottled as the newest elixir of youth. She didn't spot one yet, but knew she'd see it soon enough. Her perusal allowed Severn to catch up and walk along beside her; Pipsqueak had his claw clenched around Severn's ear and was balancing on his hind legs, looking around the street in apparent awe.

"His antics aside," Severn said, "We need to figure out what to do with him. He attracts a lot of attention, and while I don't deny his usefulness, there may be times when it's best to leave him behind."

Pipsqueak's head veered over and he met eyes with Kaylin. "You do stick out," she told him gently. "And sometimes we need to be sneaky."

He considered this, and then hunkered down on Severn's shoulder, drawing his wings around his little body. His eyes glimmered slightly, peeking through a crack between his wings. "What are you doing?" she demanded. Pipsqueak pulled his wings even tighter, shielding his eyes.

"I think that's his idea of being sneaky."

Kaylin rolled her eyes and tweaked the little dragon's tail, making him squeak. Ignoring him, she led the way over the Evanton's shop, which now sported a freshly painted sandwich board, courtesy of Grethan. "I have thought about that, though. Which is why Marcus is letting us pay a visit to Evanton during duty hours; he might have a solution." She raised her hand to knock, thought better of it, and turned to look at Pipsqueak. "Do not touch anything," she said to him, narrowing her eyes. "I mean it." He squeaked and cowered on Severn's shoulder in reply.

Kaylin knocked on the door and waited for the usual mad scramble by Grethan to get the door open quickly. The minutes passed, and nothing happened. She pursed her lips. "That's weird."

She was lifting her arm to knock again when the door creaked open to reveal Evanton with a grumpy look on his face. He looked at her fist poised to knock, unimpressed, and she let it drop to her sides. "Where's Grethan?" she asked.

"The whereabouts of my apprentice are not your concern. I am perfectly capable of answering the door of my own store."

"But—"

"However, because I will not hear the end of it from you if I don't answer your impertinent questions, I will tell you. He is in the Garden."

"But you said—"

"He is not you. I do not have to worry about him falling out of the world, and he is thus perfectly capable of spending time in the Garden on his own. Now come in." Without another word, he turned around and shuffled back into the store. He stopped a few steps in, and then turned around and fixed Severn's shoulder with a glare. "I trust I will have no problems with you in the store?"

The little dragon made no noise, but whatever Evanton saw made him nod. Appeased, Evanton continued into the store, leaving a gaping Kaylin behind. She looked over at Severn, who looked impassive. "What is _with_ people today?"

Severn didn't reply, but she could feel his crooked smile. Shaking her head, she followed Evanton into the store.

She found him rummaging through the items on his counter, making even more of a mess of the odds and ends than usual. Without even looking up, he motioned a hand to the far left of the counter. "You purchase is over there. Find it without breaking anything."

Evanton was not at his most cheerful. Kaylin obeyed his orders, and carefully sifted through the scraps of fabrics and assorted knick-knacks until she found what she was looking for. She pulled it out and then handed it over to Severn. "It's not standard issue, but neither is that knife anymore. And I asked him to enchant it like mine, so the knife won't make noise when you draw it."

Severn took the knife and sheath, and drew it, smiling appreciatively at the lack of noise. Pipsqueak hopped off his shoulder and hovered, beating his wings, to examine the workmanship. "Oh, please," Kaylin scoffed. "Don't think that he'll forget that you're the reason he needed a new sheath." The little dragon glanced in her direction, and then spiraled up and twirled before landing back on Severn's shoulder, where Severn patted him on the head. "Unbelievable," she muttered. "I leave you two together for a few weeks, and look what happens. You're both going to ban up on me."

"If you are finished," Evanton's voice, devoid of any kind of humor, snapped her to attention. He glared at her before brandishing a small emerald crystal. "This," he said, "is a summoning stone. It will tap into your link with your familiar, and you can use it to summon him whenever you wish. Though be aware that the familiar can also chose to use it, and should you leave it behind, can follow you through the stone if it wishes."

"Wait, so he can just pop up whenever he likes?"

"A minor detail. Without this stone, he would likely refuse to be separated from you for any extended length of time. Though he seems to make exceptions when Corporal Handred is involved. I find that fact very interesting."

The little dragon left Severn's shoulder and landed on hers. With him in tow she walked forward to the counter and accepted the stone from Evanton. "Clench the stone in your hand," he instructed. "This will be somewhat uncomfortable."

Kaylin winced, and then sighed before making a fist around the small crystal. For a moment nothing happened, but then her arms began to itch and the stone warmed in her hand. As the temperature of the stone increased, pain began to seep up her arm. The heat built until Kaylin was sure the stone was burning her skin, and her arm twitched as she forced herself not to drop the crystal. There was one last burst of heat and pain, and then all the sensations were gone, and the crystal itself was cool to touch.

Kaylin opened her hand cautiously, half expecting to see burned skin, but her hand was unblemished. Evanton plucked the crystal from her palm and inspected it. "There," he said. "The crystal is now linked to you. As long as the stone is in contact with your skin, you will be able to summon your familiar."

Kaylin nodded, and waited from him to hand her the stone. Moments passed, but instead of relinquishing the stone, Evanton continued to inspect it. She was about to chance a cough to get his attention when he looked up and narrowed his eyes. "Are you still here?"

"You said I needed to be holding the stone?"

"Yes."

"Then—"

"However, the crystal is not finished. I've linked it to you, but not to the dragon. This will take much more time, more, I believe, than you have left on your patrol." He looked directly at Pipsqueak. "Are you willing to remain here for to complete the link?"

The little dragon squeaked.

"Excellent." Evanton turned back to Kaylin. "I'm uncertain how long this particular enchantment will take. Come back tomorrow, but if no one answers, it isn't done and you can come back later." With that, he turned back to the crystal. Kaylin stared at him, but he didn't react. She looked at Pipsqueak, who was fixing the stone with the same attention. She looked to Severn, who simply shrugged.

Letting out of a slightly strangled noise, Kaylin pivoted around and marched out of the store. "What the hell was that all about?" she all but snarled once the door was shut. "He wasn't nearly that grouchy when I took the knife in!"

Severn didn't even shrug; he just walked out onto Elani street, ready to continue the beat. Kaylin followed, squashing the desire to stamp her feet and kick the cheerful little sandwich board in frustration. "Do you at least like your sheath?" she demanded. "Because it would be nice to have someone be appreciative of, I don't know, anything today."

Severn smiled, and reached out to muss her hair. "Yes, I like my sheath. And, for once, I sincerely doubt that Evanton's mood had anything to do with you."

"How do you figure that?"

"Because you aren't in the same mood today. Usually when you're both annoyed, it has to do with the end of the world and somehow involves you. Got any bad premonitions?"

Kaylin kicked him and he laughed. "He'll get over it. Coming?" He started out onto the beat route.

"Yeah, yeah," Kaylin grumbled, sending one look back at the store, before turning and following her partner. "He better be in a better mood tomorrow."

* * *

**Notes**

And here is drabble number 2! The prompt for this one was Bookshop.

I wanted the scene with Evanton to be a bit awkward, but it may have ended up being too choppy. Need a beta-reader to tell me these things, haha. Oh well. Plot starts soon, so stay tuned!

SJ


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